Private rental sector landlords and letting agents have expressed outrage over proposed amendments to the forthcoming Immigration Bill (2015) expected to be introduced in September, when MPs return from their summer break.

Section 20 – 37 of the Immigration Act 2014 contained the provision to make […]

Landlords Outraged At Right To Rent Prison Threat

Landlords Outraged At
Right To Rent Prison Threat

Private rental sector landlords and letting agents have expressed outrage over proposed amendments to the forthcoming Immigration Bill (2015) expected to be introduced in September, when MPs return from their summer break.

Section 20 – 37 of the Immigration Act 2014 contained the provision to make it compulsory for landlords to check the immigration status of all new adult tenants. Now officials want to enforce the measures, in order to strengthen their grip on the private rental sector (PRS).

Harrow council’s decision to force private rental sector (PRS) landlords to make monthly inspections of their rental properties could be in breach of tenant rights, according to the National Landlord Association, (NLA).

Harrow council’s decision to force private rental sector (PRS) landlords to make monthly inspections of their rental properties could be in breach of tenant rights, according to the National Landlord Association, (NLA).

Harrow Council’s Selective Landlord Licensing scheme comes into force on the 1st November 2015, and it is proposed that PRS landlords in Edgware will be required to make monthly inspections of their rental properties, disturbing the tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment of the property and creating extra work for landlords.

NLA Makes It Easier For Landlords To Vote With At A Glance Guide To Main Political Party Manifestos

The National Landlords Association (NLA) have decided to make it a bit easier for floating landlord voters who may not have decided who they intend to vote for yet, by compiling a short at […]

NLA Publishes Landlords At A Glance Guide To Voting

NLA Makes It Easier For Landlords To Vote With At A Glance Guide To Main Political Party Manifestos

The National Landlords Association (NLA) have decided to make it a bit easier for floating landlord voters who may not have decided who they intend to vote for yet, by compiling a short at a glance guide to where each political party stands on key policies related to property ownership in the UK private rental sector and landlord life.
As we published on Spotlight yesterday, every political party have their own views on each of the following measures:

Rent Control

Longer Tenancies

Landlord Licensing

Landlords’ Register

Letting Agent Fees

Landlord Tax

Tomorrow is polling day in the UK (7th May), so if you haven’t already decided which of the political parties should get your vote as a landlord and business owner, the National Landlords Association has decided to make it a bit easier for floating landlord voters by compiling a helpful guide to where each of the main political parties stand on key landlord and property related policies.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says that from April 2018, UK private rented sector (PRS) landlords will become legally required to raise the energy efficiency of rental properties in the private sector to at least “Band E” in energy efficiency standards.

[…]

UK Rental Properties Must Have EPC Above “Band E” By 2018

Rental Properties Must Have EPC
Above “Band E” By 2018

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says that from April 2018, UK private rented sector (PRS) landlords will become legally required to raise the energy efficiency of rental properties in the private sector to at least “Band E” in energy efficiency standards.

From April 2016, landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) will also be required to accept reasonable requests from tenants for energy efficiency measures to be installed in rented properties.

This means that hundreds of thousands of landlords with buy-to-let mortgages could be hit with bills of up to £9,000 (GBP) under the new green targets set out to make rental properties more energy efficient.

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ranks a property’s energy efficiency from A for the most well-insulated and energy-saving properties, to G for the worst.

Currently, the liability of private rented sector landlords to pay council tax for their unoccupied rental properties varies from region to region across the UK. Some local councils do not allow exceptions from their normal rules and even if a rental property is unoccupied, the landlord must pay […]

Landlords Say Paying Council Tax On Empty Properties Is Unfair

NLA Campaigns For Landlord Council Tax Exemptions

Currently, the liability of private rented sector landlords to pay council tax for their unoccupied rental properties varies from region to region across the UK. Some local councils do not allow exceptions from their normal rules and even if a rental property is unoccupied, the landlord must pay council tax.

This does not even begin to become fair in any way, shape or form as the rental properties are not financially draining council funds, nor are they a burden on any other council run services as bins are not being emptied and there should be no need for any of the emergency services to be called upon.

The National Landlords Association (NLA) have recently been contacting all UK local authorities to request council tax exemptions for private rental sector landlords whose rental properties become empty between tenancies.

The task is being carried out by the NLA’s 37 regional representatives who operate across the UK in order to campaign at a local level.

Many local authorities will soon to be drafting their budget proposals for the next financial year, and the NLA are keen to negotiate the much needed council tax exemptions for landlords now.

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has re-issued its 2010 warning to landlords, letting agents and tenants about online fraudsters operating in the UK’s private rental sector after resurgence of complaints over suspect practitioners.

The NLA began to receive a large number of complaints back in August 2010, concerning fraudsters […]

PRS Fraud Warning Re-Issued By NLA

NLA Warning About Rental
Fraudsters Re-Issued

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has re-issued its 2010 warning to landlords, letting agents and tenants about online fraudsters operating in the UK’s private rental sector after resurgence of complaints over suspect practitioners.

The NLA began to receive a large number of complaints back in August 2010, concerning fraudsters who operate online, using popular free websites such as Gumtree to attract unwitting victims, and the landlord association has now started to receive a new wave of complaints.

The NLA investigated and uncovered several online rental property fraudsters who would trick tenants into paying them an advance fee to rent a property by using underhand tactics such as official landlord association branding or fake letters claiming to be from NLA local representatives to support their demand for up-front payments in order to lure their victims in to a false sense of security.

The UK Government have launched yet another guide for landlords and their appointed lettings and property management agents warning of the consequences of investment properties being used as cannabis farms.

The launch of the new Home Office Cannabis Farm guide comes as the number of cannabis plants seized […]

Beware Of Rental Properties Being Turned Into Cannabis Farms

New Government Guide On Cannabis Farms Launched

The UK Government have launched yet another guide for landlords and their appointed lettings and property management agents warning of the consequences of investment properties being used as cannabis farms.

The launch of the new Home Office Cannabis Farm guide comes as the number of cannabis plants seized by UK police forces across the UK in the past two years exceeds 1 Million.

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) have stated that its landlord advice team have received calls from a high proportion of private rental sector landlord members who have been affected by criminal activity in their rental properties by drug gangs using them as cannabis farms.

Among a number of concerns that the RLA have is that private landlords can be affected on multiple levels;

UK property investors and private rental sector landlords are being offered tax training online by Her Majesties Revenue and Customs (HMRC), in order to make it easier for them to understand when and how to pay tax on property assets.

The computer-based training tutorials are aimed […]

HMRC Want Landlords To Get Tax Affairs In Order

HMRC Want Landlords To Get Tax Affairs In Order

UK property investors and private rental sector landlords are being offered tax training online by Her Majesties Revenue and Customs (HMRC), in order to make it easier for them to understand when and how to pay tax on property assets.

The computer-based training tutorials are aimed at property investors and private rental sector landlords who are renting out property and have not registered to pay tax, or have under-declared their rental incomes or have under-paid tax.

The tax training is part of HMRC’s Let Property campaign, and it is understood that HMRC are also in discussion with various landlord associations in order to make the training available to their members.

A survey carried out by the National Landlords Association (NLA) in 2013 found that students are some of the best tenant types housed in the PRS as they are less likely to miss rent and student properties tend to offer better returns.

Now, fresh research by Total […]

Insurance Statistics Prove Students Are The Best Tenants

Insurance Statistics Prove Students Are The Best Tenants

A survey carried out by the National Landlords Association (NLA) in 2013 found that students are some of the best tenant types housed in the PRS as they are less likely to miss rent and student properties tend to offer better returns.

Now, fresh research by Total Landlord Insurance in 2014 also shows that students are the most reliable tenants in the private rented sector (PRS) as only 9.6% of insurance claims come from student properties, the second lowest of any tenant group, so there may be something to the claims after all, who would have thought?

The average insurance claim made by the landlord of a student property was £2,090.18 (GBP) in 2013, compared to £6,072.97 (GBP) for a typical residential property housing tenants claiming state benefits.

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has demanded that landlords affected by the outcomes from three specific judgments involving English local authorities and HMO landlords.

The NLA have written to all local authorities in England asking them to contact any affected HMO landlords, informing them of their […]

NLA Want HMO License Fee Refunds For Landlords

HMO landlords Wrongly Charged Licensing Fees By Local Authorities

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has demanded that landlords affected by the outcomes from three specific judgments involving English local authorities and HMO landlords.

The NLA have written to all local authorities in England asking them to contact any affected HMO landlords, informing them of their right to the appropriate refunds and providing details of how they may make a claim, after recent court judgements clarified some issues surrounding the mandatory licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and how local authorities determine HMO licensing fees.

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